Google Abandons Their Google Hangouts API

“Once again we’re seeing the hazards of developing using a third party service API,” writes Slashdot reader BarbaraHudson, reporting that Google “will be discontinuing support for the Google Hangouts API going forward… Google Hangouts is now so insignificant that the cancellation didn’t even rate an official blog post. As reported by TechCrunch, “just an updated FAQ and email notification to developers active on the API, forwarded to us by one of these devs.”

TechCrunch writes:
As Google pushes Duo as its consumer video chat app and relegates Hangouts to the enterprise, it’s dropping the flexibility to build these kinds of experiences. The email explains… “We understand this will impact developers who have invested in our platform. We have carefully considered this change and believe that it allows us to give our users a more targeted Hangouts desktop video experience going forward.”
TechCrunch calls the move “a casualty of Google’s fragmented messaging app strategy and the neglect of Hangouts itself.” While some apps will continue working — for example, integration with Slack — their API’s FAQ now ends with a reminder that “Users of apps will see a notice in the call letting them know that the app they’re using will no longer work after April 25th.”